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Revitalized Green Space Includes Recreational Areas, Improved Access to Mill Run

MEADVILLE, Pa. – June 10, 2011 – The Center for Economic and Environmental Development (CEED) at Allegheny College will host a free arts event celebrating the revitalization of Shadybrook Park from 2:30 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 25, at the park. Activities will include a Global Water Dance, part of an international event promoting the availability of safe drinking water.

A rededication ceremony will begin at 3 p.m., during which the public will be invited to become stewards of the park and participate in a community signature mural on the park’s spillway. Painting supplies will be provided.

Throughout the afternoon, local musicians—including Uncle John Squared, Lisbet Searle-White and friends, Gary Gunto and others—will provide entertainment. In addition, the event will feature a performance by the Hula Hoop Dancers and a puppet show presented by students from the Meadville Council on the Arts led by artist Clarabelle Van Niekirk.

At 5 p.m. a Global Water Dance will be performed in honor of World Water Day, which has been observed internationally every year since 1992 to celebrate all water resources. Choreographers and dancers around the world will perform the dance in a 24-hour series, beginning at 5 p.m. local time in each location. In Meadville the Global Water Dance will be organized by the Dance and Movement Studies Program at Allegheny College in conjunction with local dancers.

The transformation of Shadybrook Park, which began in 2007 through Allegheny’s Arts & Environment minor, enhances recreational areas, green spaces and access to Mill Run. Many projects, including design and construction of a sculptural stormwater filtration system to improve water quality, were led by CEED and the City of Meadville in partnership with Meadville Area Middle School, Meadville Area Senior High School, the Crawford County Vocational and Technical School and numerous area residents.

Other recently completed projects at the park include landscaping, stream bank stabilization and improvements to accessibility, with a new staircase into the park, trails, a viewing deck and a small footbridge through the stormwater filtration system. These projects were funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. In addition, murals have been incorporated into the park and the spillway.

Shadybook Park is located on Morgan Street across from the Meadville Area Senior High School football stadium. Parking will be available on side streets and school parking lots adjacent to the park.

For more information, call the CEED office at (814) 332-6202 or email ceed@allegheny.edu.